KitsuneMan
by Mahina
Summary: In a Konoha where shinobi don't exist, Naruto is ridiculed for his dream to be a ninja. Now he has the power to prove them wrong. Watch as he fights crime and saves the world, using the power of Kyuubi to become...KITSUNEMAN! NaruSaku, NaruHina.
1. Chapter One: Awakening I

ULTIMATE DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. I will not sell this or make money from it. It is a distraction from my homework. This disclaimer applies to every chapter in this story.

**KitsuneMan**

Chapter One

Naruto cringed as he felt the solid chunks slosh around in the milk carton. So maybe he should have bought some ice when the electricity had been shut off three days ago. But then, if he had money to buy ice, he would have paid the electric bill.

Maybe he could just strain the chunks out. It was really only cheese, right?

_Here goes_.

Naruto put a fork over the lip of the carton and slowly poured the milk over his Fruit Loops. He emptied all the liquid, then carefully picked out most of the small globs that had escaped past his fork. He squished one experimentally between his fingers, then carefully brought it to his lips.

"BLEEEEEGGGHHH!" Naruto spat the pieces out and scrubbed his tongue with the stained tablecloth that doubled as a napkin when he needed one. Okay, maybe not just like cheese. They probably did something really weird to real cheese to get rid of the sour, gag-inducing taste. Naruto eyed his Fruit Loops warily. He grabbed the jar of sugar and up-ended it over the bowl until he had a nice, sparkling mountain of crystalline insulin-busting goodness. He stirred it in—it got a little thick—and quickly took a bite before he could change his mind. He forced it down his throat, his body protesting all the way.

It wasn't so bad, he told himself as the lump settled rather ominously in his stomach. His support check was due tomorrow, and then he could buy more ramen! Of course, the support check hadn't come last week, but those kinds of things happened, right? Naruto nodded to himself sagely. What kind of ninja would he be if he couldn't rough it a little, after all?

Naruto groaned has his gut let off another angry grumble. That was enough breakfast, he decided, pushing the bowl away. He'd just eat a lot in the cafeteria for lunch—thankfully the school provided that. He grabbed his backpack off the floor, shoved in a few books and scrolls, and headed unsteadily towards the door. He stopped in the entrance to adjust his hitaite, the metal plate with leaf engraving glinting in the morning sun.

_Energy, Naruto, energy!_ _It's SHOWTIME!_

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"Naruto!" The teacher snapped. "Would you put the 'scrolls' and calligraphy set away? Please take out a pen and flat paper like everyone else."

Naruto glared at Mizuki-sensei. "No! A ninja doesn't use that crummy paper crap, a true ninja uses scrolls!"

The rest of the class giggled at Naruto, who sat in a rather dinged-looking metal desk near the front of the class. A few even laughed openly.

"Naruto," Mizuki sighed, running a hand down his face. "That _is_ paper, you've just ruined it by rolling it into tubes."

"Sh-shut up!" Naruto flushed.

"It's only the first day of school," Mizuki growled. "If you keep this up, I'm going to have to send you to see the principle. I'm sure _ninja_ can adapt to use whatever material are at hand. A true ninja would blend into his surroundings anyway, not proclaim what he is at the top of his lungs." Mizuki stared down hard at his most infamous and problematic homeroom student. The ninja act had been endearing to some of his colleagues, but the boy was eleven now, starting the sixth grade, and it was getting a little old. "I think you should stay after the bell rings for lunch so we can have a talk."

Naruto's mouth fell open. "BUT I—"

Mizuki cut him off with an upraised hand. "But nothing. Sasuke, lend him a pencil." He swept back to the board at the front of the room.

Sasuke grunted and threw a pencil at Naruto in the next desk over. It hit him in the head and clattered to the ground. Sasuke merely smirked and turned back to watch Mizuki begin to lecture as Naruto growled and bent to pick up the writing instrument.

"Nice reflexes, _ninja_," someone hissed behind the blond boy, loud enough for the class to hear but not loud enough that Mizuki noticed. Or if the teacher did, he just continued to drone on about course objectives.

Everyone in the class snickered again, except for one little girl in the far back corner next to the window. She ignored the two girls in front of her passing notes about how cute Sasuke was and studied Naruto silently with pale, inscrutable eyes.

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Naruto couldn't believe he was missing lunch for this. His stomach churned unpleasantly.

"Do we have an understanding?" Mizuki asked from behind his desk. "I want no more disruptions in my class. Iruka might have tolerated your fantasies, but you are too old to be playing these games anymore." Mizuki wrinkled his nose in distaste. "You don't _really_ believe you are a ninja, do you Naruto?"

"No, Mizuki-sensei," Naruto mumbled. At this point, all he really wanted was some FOOD.

"Then don't call me sensei. My name is Mr. Touji, or sir." [1]

"Yes sir."

"Good." Mizuki nodded, casually sweeping back his shoulder-length silver hair. "You need to grow up, boy. I'm sure you understand that Iruka lost his job because of your immature pranks and 'ninja missions.' You don't want that to happen to anyone else, do you?"

Naruto swallowed and shook his head, appetite lost in a sudden surge of guilt and anger. Naruto remembered what happened to Iruka-sensei well enough. Tears started to well in his eyes, but he blinked them away. Iruka had said he missed being a teacher, but was happy at his new job, and didn't want to see Naruto cry. Ninja never cried.

"Perfect," Mizuki leaned forward and hissed, "because I can assure you that I am not Iruka, and will make sure that you are expelled long before you have the chance to get me fired too." Mizuki sat back and grinned unpleasantly. "I'm glad we came to this understanding."

Naruto's guilt passed as suddenly as it had come, pushed out by Mizuki's coldness. Now Naruto was just angry and hungry again. He wanted to yell at Mizuki, tell him that he wasn't sorry and he really was a ninja—the best one EVER!—but he also needed to eat before he passed out. "May I go to lunch now, sir?" Naruto managed to grind out, looking suitably apologetic and pitiful.

Mizuki waved a hand dismissively. "Go ahead, I just hope we don't have to do this later in the semester. Your grades might actually even go up."

Naruto practically bolted out the door and down the corridor. Mizuki stood up behind the desk and started shouting.

"NARUTO! NO RUNNING!"

BRIIIIIIIINNNNNGG! The bell that called the end of lunch and recess rang. Naruto slowed to a few steps, and almost burst into a frustrated, half-starved wail right there and then.

"NARUTO! GET BACK HERE!"

_Screw this!_ Naruto mentally cried. He made a few hand-seals, then dashed to the nearest window and clambered out. He rolled into the soft grass and dirt with a muffled thump and scrambled under some bushes as his classmates came chatting back to their homeroom. _Ninja-escape technique, success!_

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Iruka was tidying up the shelves when he heard the door chime jingle behind him. He grinned to himself-- there was only one person who would visit his shop at this time of day.

"Hey, Naruto!", Iruka greeted him, his back still turned to the entrance where the boy was probably trying to scrape off some of the dirt from his sandals. "Do that outside, would you? I just finished cleaning everything up."

"Yo! Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka turned around to smile warmly at his favorite one-time pupil, and whapped him on the head with the slightly damp rag he had been using to dust. "It's just Iruka now. I'm not your teacher anymore."

"Yeah, yeah..." Naruto brushed the reproach aside, adjusting the hitaite Iruka had given him for his last birthday. Naruto knew that Iruka didn't mean it, and Iruka knew it too.

"Shouldn't you be in class, still? It's only one-o'clock."

Naruto blushed and looked away. "They, ummm, let us out early because it's the first day?"

Iruka frowned. Naruto was a terrible liar. "You cut class again, didn't you? Do you even plan on making it to high school, let alone college?"

Naruto collapsed on a stool beneath a display rack of shuriken and fantasy swords. He bent over and buried his face in his arms on one of the gaming tables.

"Iruka, do you have any food?" Natuo mumbled, his voice sounding muffled coming through his arms. "I don't have any at home and Mizuki—the one who took over your class—kept me back from lunch. I don't feel too good."

Iruka's tirade died on his lips. He studied Naruto's form for a moment, then sighed and set down the rag. "I have some instant ramen in the back. I'll microwave it up." He turned and walked through the beaded curtain behind the register to the cluttered back room.

"Awesome!" Naruto slowly pumped a fist in the air, his face never leaving the crook of his other elbow.

Three minutes later, Iruka came back out with a steaming cup of noodles and a pair of chopsticks. He set it in front of Naruto and took the stool on the other side of the table. Naruto seemed to come back to life as he ate, telling Iruka all about his terrible first day.

"You should go back to being a teacher again, Iruka," Naruto managed to say between mouthfuls.

"Naruto..." Iruka sighed.

"I mean, we both know that this store doesn't make any money, and you used to really love being a teacher. There are other schools in the city."

"_Naruto_..."

"I mean, it was all my fault that you had to resign in the first place. You didn't have anything to do with it at all. It was just a prank."

Iruka shook his head. How long was the boy going to keep blaming himself for everything? "Naruto, there were other factors involved in my resignation as well."

"Like what?" Naruto finished the ramen and poked the wooden chopsticks through the empty Styrofoam cup. "Honestly, Iruka. You were...you _are_ the best teacher I've ever had. You were the only reason why I kept coming to school last year, and probably the only reason why I showed up today at all."

"Don't say that, Naruto."

"I will, because it's true." Naruto sat up straighter. "I hate that place. I get teased because of the way I look, because of these stupid scars on my cheeks, and because I suck in class. I can't help it if my clothes are bad or I don't have all the books, 'cause I don't have the money for them! None of the teachers care that I don't do computer assignments because the librarians won't let me use them and I don't even always have _electricity_ at home. No one else believes me when I say I want to be a ninja, either."

_He's still saying that?_ Iruka had to wonder. "Naruto, you…you know there aren't many ninja around these days…right?"

"So?" Naruto squinted up at him. "I can do it! I can even throw a shuriken, just like you taught me!"

_Oh, but Naruto,_ Iruka thought silently,_ these are just fantasy weapons for collectors like myself. They have dulled edges. They're not real_.

Naruto's eyes slowly widened at Iruka's lack of response. He quickly stumbled out of his stool towards where his bag was lying in the entrance. "Not you too, Iruka-sensei! Don't tell me you don't think ninja exist, either! You taught me everything I know!"

Iruka still didn't trust himself to respond.

Naruto's face screwed up terribly and Iruka thought he might start to break down. "Th-thanks for the ramen, Iruka-sens…I mean, Mr. Umino. I'll see you later, I guess." He reached down for his bag and started to push open the door.

"Wait, Naruto!" Iruka cried. Naruto paused, and let the door close again. "You know I didn't mean it like that. It's not that I don't believe that you can't become a ninja, just that…maybe you should work harder in school so you can get a second job. You know, being a ninja won't pay for everything." Iruka winked half-heartedly as Naruto turned back around and the tension seemed to leave the boy's shoulders. "You can be a ninja, but it might be a good idea to think about becoming something on the side, too."

Naruto grinned, then laughed. He'd only been fooling. He knew Iruka believed in him. He strode to the counter in a few quick steps and flung his arms around Iruka for a brief hug. He looked away and blushed, absently rubbing a tear that had been forming from the corner of his eyes. "You should go back to dusting, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said rather loudly. "I got some dirt in my eyes." Naruto grinned even wider with his trademark foxy squint, and Iruka smiled back.

"Promise me you'll return to class and apologize to Mizuki-sensei, alright?" Iruka said seriously.

"Sure thing, Iruka-sensei," Naruto nodded as he again headed for the entrance. He stopped one more time halfway through the door, then turned around to face his mentor, his blond bangs and hitaite hiding his eyes and making him look very small. "You're my best, friend, you know that, right?" Naruto said so softly that Iruka had to strain to hear. "My only friend..."

Naruto looked up suddenly and gave Iruka another full-powered nuclear grin. "SEE YOU LATER, SENSEI!" Naruto waved and dashed down the sunny street, the door clanging shut behind him.

Iruka only sighed. He loved Naruto dearly, but maybe people were right when they questioned his mental soundness. He'd only tried to make the boy open up and work harder in class when he'd gone along with Naruto's little ninja game. Now, a year later and several months after an incident that had cost him his job, he was starting to wonder if the ninja thing was really just a phase. Perhaps he should help the boy seek counseling.

_Oh, Naruto_.

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Naruto slowly kicked a pebble out of his way as he meandered down the street in the general direction of school. Iruka was always right. It would only be worse if he waited to show up and explain himself to Mizuki tomorrow morning.

_Stupid school_. _If I were a real ninja, I wouldn't have to go to classes or nothing, I'd be free!_

Naruto shook his head. What was he thinking, _if_. He was a real ninja, wasn't he? Ever since he could remember, he'd always known that he would be a ninja. It wasn't a choice, it just…was. Maybe he'd get another job like Iruka said, as a cover or something, but it wouldn't change the fact that he was a ninja above all else.

No, Naruto couldn't deny his ambition to be a ninja any more than he could deny that Sakura-chan was really, really cute. Naruto began to blush. _Sakura-chaaaaan…_ Naruto giggled.

And smacked into something tall, blue and hard.

"Hey kid, what are you doing out of school?" Boomed a gruff voice from above. Naruto looked up and faltered slightly when he saw the policeman's badge.

"Ummm…running errands for my mother?" Naruto lied, rubbing the back of his head ruefully. He quickly glanced up and down the mostly deserted street.

The officer narrowed his eyes in recognition. "Aren't you the kid who put laxatives in the station coffee last time we brought you in for truancy?"

_Oh shit!_ Naruto thought. "No, but—OH MY GOD LOOK OVER THERE!" Naruto spun around and made a break for the nearest alley without waiting to see if the man had fallen for his trick. The cop's hand hooked onto his backpack, but Naruto slid it off his shoulders with ease. _Ninja evasion tactics!_ Naruto mentally cried as he vaulted over a too-full trashcan and tipped it over behind him to clutter the alley entrance. The officer cursed behind him and he heard the banging of more trashcans. _Success! _Naruto burst out of the alley into the next street over, and dashed straight across for another narrow gap between buildings.

He never registered the car squealing as the driver slammed on the breaks, only saw something huge coming out of the corner of his eye. Naruto didn't think, didn't pray, just _jumped_.

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Naruto felt the wind whipping gently through his hair. _Am I dead?_ He opened his eyes and looked down to see the roof of the building he'd been running for at least ten feet below him. _Am I flying?_ The building was getting closer.

_Am I falling?_

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! Naruto screamed. _I'm falling!_ _Six_ feet! Four feet! Two feet! He was gonna go over the edge of the building! Naruto twisted himself around and grabbed at the building's flimsy metal gutter. His eleven-year old fingers slipped and he continued to plummet into the dirty backlot below. Naruto closed his eyes and _reached_ with everything he had for the ledge of the second story window. Something red flashed through his eyelids and suddenly Naruto wasn't falling anymore. He wasn't holding on to anything, either.

Naruto slowly cracked open his eyelids to peek at what had happened. He was dangling just above the ground, his toes sweeping the weeds pushing up through the gaps in the dirty backlot pavement. His eyes followed his body upwards to his arm, where a bubbling, crimson aura extended from his hand in the shape of a claw, digging deep gouges in the concrete ledge below the second story window.

_Hehe…hehe…heh…_ Naruto chuckled in his mind, before the concrete ledge broke away and a large chunk hit him in the temple, sending him crashing into darkness.

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A/N: Woohoo! I've been planning this AU for…I dunno, ever since I got my account here, and now the first chapter is finally published. The second one is written and ready to go, too. I was going to publish it as part of this one, but decided it would be better to limit myself to about ten pages per update. Pacing, you know. If I get serious about writing this story, it's going to be a marathon. Let's see if I can bang out a third chapter tonight before I get bored. ^.^

[1] I got Mizuki's full name from a fan profile. If it's wrong, let me know so I can change it.


	2. Chapter Two: Awakening II

**KitsuneMan**

Chapter Two: Awakening II

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He winced at the harsh florescent track lighting. He closed his eyes again.

"Naruto, you're awake!" Came a voice from his side.

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto replied, eyes still closed. "Where am I?"

"The hospital," Iruka said.

"Oh." Naruto said. His eyes flew open. "The hospital?" He exclaimed. Naruto searched his memories from the afternoon. He'd been fleeing from a cop after ditching school, and then…

…and then blank.

Naruto felt he was forgetting something important. Like how he'd ended up in a hospital bed with bandages on his head and an IV tube in his arm.

Naruto felt for the edge of the thin mattress and slowly pushed himself up. "I'm in a lot of trouble, aren't I?" he stated more than asked. Naruto turned to look at his favorite mentor.

"Not really," Iruka replied with a small smile as he folded the magazine he'd been reading in his lap. "You may have a minor concussion, but you've only been out for about an hour. You shouldn't have been dodging around those back alleys. It's not a great neighborhood."

Naruto slowly prodded at the bandages around his head. He noted that his hitaite was on a stand by the window. He was glad that it was okay. "I don't remember doing anything to end up in the hospital, though," Naruto said. "I was running from a cop, and then everything goes black."

"Well, you should be glad that cop found you." Iruka said. "Apparently some concrete fell from one of the buildings and struck you on the temple. It could have been deadly if you'd been out there overnight."

Naruto doubted that. He usually healed pretty quickly. He probably would have been up and out of there before dark. He didn't say that, though.

"What about the cop," Naruto asked. "Do I have to go to the station, now?"

Iruka chuckled. "Well, you almost sprained the man's ankle with your trashcan stunt, but he let you off with a warning when I explained that you'd only left to get lunch. The hospital staff confirmed that your blood sugar levels were extremely low, and you were suffering minor malnutrition." Iruka pointed at the IV Naruto was trying to pull out. "You should leave that in."

Naruto huffed theatrically. He couldn't feel anything, but it was really gross having a needle feeding food into your arm.

"Have you not been getting your stipends again?" Iruka asked.

Naruto looked away and bit his lip. He nodded.

Iruka merely sighed. "You've got to tell me when the checks don't come. I'll sort it out, don't worry."

"But Iruka-sensei!" Naruto burst. "You can't! I cause so much trouble for you already!" Naruto tried to jump out of the bed, but Iruka reached out and pushed him back down.

"It's not a problem, Naruto." Iruka said reassuringly. "You cause me more worry when you don't tell me these things. It hurts to see you in this state. You're just lucky I'm not your teacher anymore. Back in the day, I would have been chewing your ass off right now!"

Naruto grinned. He did miss Iruka's lectures, harsh as they seemed at the time.

"I'm going to check with a nurse to see when I can get you out of here," Iruka said. "Then you're going back to school to see Mizuki and the principal and apologize!"

Naruto groaned and flopped back onto the bed.

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The principal's office was boring.

Naruto kicked his feet carelessly, scraping his toe against the office carpet on each swing. It annoyed him to no end that he wasn't able to touch the ground completely. He was too short. Not enough vitamins, he supposed.

_Ninja can be short_, Naruto thought. _Bad guys will underestimate me_.

Naruto envisioned a masked man standing in place of secretary's chair. He made flicking motions at the invisible enemy, practicing his shuriken throw. Iruka had taught him last year, and while Naruto's aim wasn't very good in real life, this was his daydream right now. He could hit every target if he wanted too, darn it!

Naruto pretended to duck as another ninja appeared in his mind's eye, swinging a katana that just barely grazed his golden spikes of hair. _Close!_ Naruto rolled off the bench and across the floor, coming nimbly to his feet as he weaved gracefully around the enemy-nin's thrusts and slashes. He leapt backward onto the secretary's mahogany desk, accidentally knocking over a coffee cup filled with office supplies and spilling pencils onto the floor. The enemy-nin was good, but Naruto had a few tricks up his sleeve.

_Watch this, evil shinobi!_

Naruto let the enemy press him to the edge of the desk, glancing over his shoulder to gauge the distance. The ninja, thinking his prey finished, flashed forward with a killing thrust. Naruto took one more step and bent backward at the waist, intending to flip off the desk and land a solid kick as his opponent over-balanced, but slipped on a stack of papers and went tumbling uncontrollably to the floor.

Or, at least, expected too.

Instead he found himself perched precariously on the very lip of the desk, leaning out over the floor at an impossible angle. Naruto looked at the ground, then looked at his feet. He felt gravity pulling at him, urging him to do a faceplant, but his body was not responding. It was like his feet were glued to the wood.

_Man, do I have good balance or what?_ Naruto thought numbly. Cautiously, he brought one foot up and brought it back down again. There was a slight sticking sensation, as if energy was flowing from his body and suctioning him to the desk. His brow furrowed.

_What is this?_

"AAAAIIIIIEEEE!" Someone shrieked from the doorway. Naruto lost his focus and dropped to the dull gray carpet. He scrambled to his feet as the principal's fat secretary rushed over to beat him about the head with the bagel she'd been snacking on.

"What were you doing on my desk, you little monster!" She shrieked. Naruto tried to shield himself as crumbs rained down on his hair.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Naruto whimpered.

Iruka stuck his head out of the principal's room. "Naruto!" He said sharply. "What is going on?"

"Nothing!" Naruto cried quickly, shoving his little hands over the secretary's frog-like lips. "Nothing at all!" He glanced at the secretary, who was turning a nasty shade of puce that clashed horribly with her pink cardigan.

Iruka scowled suspiciously. "Well, the principal is ready to see you now."

"Coming!" Naruto yipped and rushed into the room, slamming the door before the secretary could say a word. He turned around and scanned the office. Mizuki was sitting in an overstuffed armchair to one side, sneering, while the principal reclined in his seat, slowly tapping his fingers together.

Iruka put a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder and guided him to a seat.

"So, Naruto," the principal began. "Only the first day and you're already starting up the trouble that forced me to let poor Mr. Umino go?"

Naruto didn't trust himself to respond, so he bit his lip and looked down.

If the principal had been expecting one of the spectacular shouting matches that had so characterized their meetings last year, he didn't show it. He merely continued tapping his fingers, then leaned forward and put his hands on the table.

"If _Mayor_ Sarutobi himself didn't insist you study here, you would have been gone too."

Naruto kept his eyes downcast, but inside he seethed. Studying at Konoha Academy had been the Old Man's condition for letting Naruto move out of the orphanage. Naruto wouldn't have chosen to go here either if he could.

"That being said, Mr. Umino has done a sufficient job explaining your situation. You will be allowed to return to your class tomorrow, but you are not to miss another day of school for the rest of the year. I don't care if you are starved or dying of fever, you will be in your seat for the first period bell." The principal slapped his palm against the desk. "Understood?"

Naruto peeked at Iruka out of the corner of his eye. Iruka looked upset, but nodded slightly. Naruto straightened his posture and spoke in his most serious tone of voice.

"Yes, sir."

The principal smiled. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't as cold as Mizuki's smirk as he cleared his throat to join the discussion.

"The principal and I also agree that you are to bring proper school supplies starting tomorrow." Mizuki said smugly. "No more 'scrolls.' You are never to mention 'ninja' again."

Naruto almost jumped out of his seat. Iruka quickly grabbed him by the wrist and squeezed. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by the look of warning in Iruka's eyes. Naruto settled back down.

"Yes…_sir_." Naruto ground out through clenched teeth.

Mizuki and the principal exchanged glances. "Well enough." The principal said. "I'm sure you'll come around eventually. You are dismissed."

Naruto looked at Iruka as he got up to leave, but Iruka shook his head.

"I still have a few more things to discuss," Iruka said. "You go ahead, I'll meet you outside."

Naruto nodded curtly and left the room. He scurried out of the administration office before the secretary had a chance to accost him. Didn't _anyone_ believe he could be a ninja? Who were they to tell him what he could or couldn't do, anyway!? He slumped against the wall a few feet down the hallway and slid to the ground.

It hadn't always been like this, of course. Up until third grade or so, his classmates used to actually play ninja with him. Adults would smile and move on when he told them of his ambitions. He thought that was good. Now he understood that they were only humoring him. To his old friends, it was just a game. A game they decided was "uncool" after their parents began discouraging it. Naruto became a social leper.

The hallway suddenly seemed claustrophobic. Naruto needed to go outside. He stood up and headed for his favorite spot on the playground. It was an old tree with a wooden swing set on the far side of the yard. It grew right next to the high brick wall that enclosed the campus. Naruto liked the shadows that the leaves made on the ground. It helped him calm down whenever he was excluded from playing tag or soccer.

As Naruto rocked back and forth under the shade of the tree, his mind drifted back to the mock battle outside the principal's office. What was that, exactly? The more he thought about it, the more he was sure that some force had been literally gluing him to the desk.

Naruto thought about some of the ninja movies he'd seen, his only real training guide outside of Iruka's throwing lessons. Walking up walls was a Hollywood effect, even he knew that. But if he _could_ do that…

Everyone would _have_ to believe that ninja were real!

Naruto hopped off of the swings and rubbed his hands eagerly. _I have ninja powers!_ he told himself.

"YAAAAAH!" he cried, running at the tree trunk. He got one step up, then two, before gravity overcame momentum and he fell painfully on his tailbone. _I-t-t-t-tai!_ Maybe shinobi didn't run up trees, after all. Naruto scratched the back of his head.

Someone laughed musically above him. Naruto looked up at the tree and gasped, scrambling backwards in surprise. There was a person up there! Naruto waved weakly.

The person shifted in the branches, coming better into view. Naruto's breath caught in his throat. The person was small, Naruto's size, but that wasn't what held his attention. The figure was wearing all black, from leather sandals to metal-backed fingerless gloves. A flowing black cloak draped around their shoulders, blending seamlessly into the shadows. The hood was pulled low over a black silk mask that covered the figure's face entirely, but Naruto knew exactly what he was looking at.

A ninja.

The figure's head suddenly snapped to the side, as if something had caught its attention. Naruto looked in the direction it was staring, but saw only the Elementary Division building and the empty playground. He looked back at the ninja. The ninja put a finger to its lips in the universal symbol for silence, then vanished in a whirl of leaves. Something white fluttered down among the foliage, landing at Naruto's feet. Naruto picked it up.

It was a piece of torn notebook paper. He turned it over. Scribbled on the other side was a message. Naruto blinked and rubbed his eyes. For some reason, it was hard to make out the letters.

"Ba…balance…your…Cha-no, Balance your Catra." Naruto read. _What does that mean?_ He looked back up at the tree, but found no answers.

"Naruto!" called Iruka's voice. Naruto turned to look at his mentor. The man was slightly out of breath, as if he had been running. "Really," he huffed. "When I said outside, I meant the office, not the building, Naruto." Iruka smiled and ruffled the boy's messy hair. It was poking out at odd angles over the bandages the hospital had wrapped around his wound. "You had me worried."

Naruto laughed and placed the hand holding the note to the back of his head. "Sorry about that, Iruka-sensei," he said. "It's a nice day."

Iruka noticed the paper the boy was holding. "What's that, Naruto?" he asked.

"What?" Naruto said, confused.

"That paper." Iruka clarified.

"Oh!" exclaimed Naruto. "Another ninja gave it to me! I think they wanted to help my training."

Iruka frowned. The boy had just gotten through another lecture on his behavior, and was already starting the ninja act again. "Can I see it?" Iruka asked patiently.

"Ummm…sure," Naruto said hesitantly. The ninja had asked him to keep quiet, but Iruka was okay, right? Maybe he could explain it. "It says, 'Balance your catra.'" Naruto said. "You know what that means, sensei?"

Iruka took the slip of paper. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Are you studying Kanji, Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto's brows knitted together. "No, why?"

Iruka looked back at the symbols on the paper. They looked vaguely like Japanese or Chinese characters. He certainly couldn't read it. Iruka sighed.

"Naruto," he began, getting down on his knees to reach eye-level with the boy. "I really, really think it's time you start considering a carrier other than a shinobi."

Naruto's face was instantly guarded and blank. "What if I don't want to?" he said. "Do you think I'm too dumb or weak?"

"No, no!" Iruka hastily replied. He tried a different tack. "Ninjas are definitely strong and cool, but think about what they do. They're spies and assassins. Do you want to kill people, Naruto?"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "I'd only kill bad people, Iruka-sensei," he reassured his mentor. "I want to be a ninja that protects everyone."

Iruka slowly let out his breath between pursed lips and resisted the urge to facepalm. How could he do this without hurting the boy's feelings? Or worse, alienating him? The child had no one else in his life looking after his wellbeing. The mayor certainly did his best, but he had a whole city to govern.

Naruto suddenly smiled and snapped his fingers, shaking Iruka out of his musings. "Watch this, Iruka-sensei!" he said excitedly. "You know how ninja walk up walls in the movies? I think I can do that too. It wasn't working before, but now that you're here I'm _sure_ I can do it!"

Iruka could only kneel in growing horror as Naruto backed up, then sprinted full speed at the tree. "Naruto!" he shouted, grasping and missing the boy's jacket as he blew past. Naruto planted a foot on the tree, then ran four steps up before slipping on the bark and tumbling back to the earth.

"Ahhhhh!" he yelled, landing on his side with a sickening thud. Iruka rushed over and started checking the blond immediately, praying that nothing was broken. He'd just been released from the hospital a few hours ago! Naruto began laughing madly.

"Four steps that time! Did you see that, Iruka-sensei?" He grinned brilliantly at the man who was like his older brother.

Iruka lost it. He slapped him. Naruto stared wide-eyed and hesitantly put a hand to his cheek.

"Don't you ever do that again, Naruto!" Iruka yelled, red in the face. Naruto flinched at the spittle. "Are you crazy? Are you really crazy? NINJA. DO. NOT. EXIST." Iruka panted as the last of his rage left him in a rush. He suddenly felt hollow at the deadened look in his former student's eyes. Naruto shifted his gaze to his feet.

"So, you too, sensei," Naruto whispered. "You really think I'm faking for attention too? Stupid? Or just crazy, right?" he chuckled brittlely. His voice gained in strength. "You were lying when you said you believed in me!" He glared at the man in accusation.

Iruka let out another slow breath. "No." Iruka said finally. "I don't think you're really crazy. Or stupid, despite what some may say." Iruka smiled weakly, but faltered when it wasn't returned.

"I do believe in you, Naruto." Iruka insisted. He pushed a finger into Naruto's chest. "I believe in _you_. I think you can be anything you want as long as you try hard enough."

"But not a ninja," Naruto broke in.

Iruka shook his head. "But not a ninja," he agreed. "Naruto, I can teach you to handle weapons and set traps…play pranks…but ninja still aren't real. They aren't needed in this world. Not where we have peace." Iruka tried ruffling Naruto's hair again. "You have to understand how it makes you look."

"How?" Naruto asked softly.

"Crazy." Iruka said with a twitch of the lips. "People get distracted by what you say and can't see the great kid I see. The smart, funny, dedicated Naruto. Not the 'ninja.'"

Naruto was silent. "So you don't think I'm crazy?" he asked.

"I think," Iruka paused to pick his words carefully. "You have a vibrant imagination. I think you're very good at pretending, but sometimes you take the game too far. Mizuki has a point when he asks you to put your notes in a binder instead of rolling them into scrolls. They'll fit in your backpack better that way, too."

Naruto laughed, but it lacked conviction. Iruka clapped him on the back.

"You're the little brother I never had, Naruto," Iruka admitted. "I hate to see you in this state. Just keep trying and be yourself, and you'll make more friends." Iruka smiled and rubbed Naruto's shoulder. "What do you say we get some ramen for dinner, huh? My treat."

Naruto grinned a little more believably this time. "You're going to regret that, sensei," he said.

Iruka was afraid he would.

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The class stared at Naruto as he quietly took his seat the next morning. Naruto wondered if it was because he hadn't brashly announced his entrance or because of the stupid white bandages that were still wrapped around his head. His hitaite was still sitting on its stand at home—banned as ninja paraphernalia. Naruto was sure he looked like a frickin' mummy.

Muttered whispers started going around, but the class calmed as Mizuki entered the room. Mizuki paused to give Naruto the briefest look of contempt, then picked up the chalk and began the day's lesson.

Naruto quickly zoned the man out and fell back to pondering what had happened to him the previous day. It had been all he could think about when Iruka finally dropped him off at his apartment late in the evening. He wondered again why he hadn't pressed his mentor about it, tried to demonstrate more. The words just stopped in his throat when he tried to say something before closing the door. Probably because Iruka didn't believe ninjas existed either.

Maybe he _did _have a "vibrant imagination." Maybe he really was crazy.

But Naruto knew that he hadn't imagined the ninja in the tree. Even Iruka had held the cryptic note. He also clearly remembered the feeling of _whatever it was_ binding him to the wood in the secretary's office. He'd tried to replicate the sensation at home, running up the wall as far as he could go, but had been forced to stop when the landlady cussed him out about the noise.

It _had _to be real, Naruto _had_ to have proof he could be a ninja, because otherwise…well…

…he was a developmentally retarded freak who'd gotten Iruka-sensei fired for teaching him how to handle a weapon…

…He was a friendless loser…

Who had spent all his life in a lie.

Naruto considered the desk-sticking sensation. Maybe he wasn't taking it slow enough. Was he too rushed? Everything from yesterday seemed so much more like a dream after a full night's sleep. Sitting in the classroom with Mizuki teaching math, without his hitaite and everyone telling him that ninja did not exist, Naruto could almost believe that he was a madman.

_NO!_ Naruto physically smacked himself. A few people around him looked at him oddly, but fortunately Mizuki hadn't noticed. Naruto grinned at his surrounding classmates and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

_Thinking like that is only letting them win!_ Naruto thought. He had to believe in himself, because no one else would. _I am a ninja. I can definitely stick to walls. It wasn't my imagination._

There had to be a way to confirm to himself here and now that yesterday was real, before he really did go crazy with doubt. The note had said, "Balance your _catra_." Catra was clearly the desk-sticking stuff. Check. Did he not have balance? If running at walls randomly wasn't going to bring it out again, maybe staying calm and meditating monk-style would work.

He tuned out Mizuki's insect-like buzz completely and focused on his body. Now that it had been brought to his attention, Naruto could definitely feel something there. It was warm and comfortable…almost familiar. Naruto focused on concentrating the feeling into the palm of his hand. Slowly, he lowered it onto the desk. It stuck.

_YES!_ Naruto silently cried as a wave of elation swept through him. He did it! It _was_ real, he _wasn't _crazy! He _could _be a ninja! Naruto wanted to shoot out of his chair and start jumping on his classmates' desks, just to show them what he could do. Suddenly the energy in his hand spiked and blasted his hand off the desk, straight up into the air.

Mizuki chose that moment to turn around from the board.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Uzumaki," he said with an arched eyebrow. "Are you actually going to volunteer an answer for once?"

Naruto looked around at the class, then at his own hand waving in the air. The blackboard behind Mizuki was filled with complicated formulas that Naruto completely did not understand. Slowly, he brought his hand back down.

"Ummm…" Naruto stalled. He nervously rubbed the back of his head. "I forgot. Ehehehehe."

Mizuki's eyebrow raised even higher. "I see," he said. "Not unexpected. Sasuke, remind Naruto."

Sasuke straightened out of his brooding posture with a faint smirk. "If the slope of the line is four, then the y-intercept must be thirty-six," he responded tonelessly. "Sir."

Mizuki smiled at Sasuke. "Excellent job," he said, turning back to the board. "Now who can solve this next equation?"

Sasuke cocked his head just slightly at Naruto, his smirk widening. _Dead Last_, he mouthed.

Naruto flushed. "I knew that!" He hissed back defensively. Sasuke ignored him.

Naruto sat back and fumed. School was so stupid! He should be outside right now, practicing scaling walls. He pictured himself fighting enemy shinobi while balancing on all sorts of impossible objects, like telephone poles and tree branches.

_I'll show them all how awesome a real ninja is, and algebra can go to hell!_

Iruka-sensei would be the first to see when he got control of his new power, Naruto resolved. His sensei wouldn't have to worry about people thinking he was crazy anymore. Naruto nodded to himself, leaning back in his desk with his arms crossed over his chest. Then he'd show up that stupid Mizuki, oh yeah. _And Sasuke-teme_, Naruto thought with a withering glare at the pretty-boy jock who sat to his right.

_And then maybe I'll show Sakura-chan_, Naruto silently giggled. She'd want to go out with him for sure then. Sakura-chan was sooooooo cute. Fantasies of her falling into his strong, well-muscled ninja arms played across his mind as he rested his head in his palms and stared contentedly at her beautiful pink hair two rows ahead and to the left.

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"He's staring at you again," Ino murmered to her best friend and rival across the row. "It's really gross."

"You're sure it's not Sasuke?" Sakura pouted.

"No, definitely Naruto." Ino smirked. "Besides, even if he can't see your enormous forehead from behind, Sasuke would still only look at me."

"Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you, you blond pig?" Sakura glared. "Sasuke doesn't look at anyone. At least you don't have the dumbest loser in school drooling over you half the time. My life sucks!"

Ino snickered, but quickly schooled her face to innocence when Mizuki shot them "the look." She scribbled a note on the corner of her paper, then tore it off and passed it to Sakura under the table.

_He's not a bad consolation prize. Naruto might be okay if he wasn't so UGLY and STUPID. You two are a perfect match._

Sakura glared at her friend, then wrote back.

_Don't even try it. I'm prettier than you, and I've got the highest GPA in the school._

Ino's handwriting almost conveyed her laughter in her response.

_Exactly. OPPOSITES ATTRACT! (And who said you're prettier than me?)_

Sakura blushed furiously.

_Shut up. And it was Kiba! I heard him at recess._

_Kiba's a dog._ Ino wrote._ You can do better than that, Girl!_

_Like Sasuke?_

_No, He's MINE =^D_

_Not if I get him first! _Sakura insisted.

Ino leaned across the aisle while Mizuki was rummaging through his desk for a stack of worksheets. "You need to ditch Naruto first," she said.

Sakura nodded emphatically. "If he talks to me one more time after class, I swear I'll make him so embarrassed he'll never show that weird whisker-blighted face here again."

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"SA-KURA-CHA~N!" Naruto practically sang as soon as the bell rang for the end of the day. He bounded over to where the two most popular sixth-grade girls in the school were packing their bags. "Wanna go somewhere together?"

Sakura hid her face in her palms in shame and Ino sneered. "Did you not hit your head hard enough yesterday, or are the bandages just for show?" Ino's voice dripped with disdain. "I almost thought you'd been knocked mute this morning, but I guess we weren't that lucky."

"Awwww, don't say that Ino-chan!" Naruto chirped cheerfully.

Ino tossed her long blond bangs behind her ear. "Don't call me that," she said. "Chan? What. The. Hell. I don't even know what that means."

Naruto frowned almost comically. He looked around to see if Mizuki was within earshot. "It's ninja-code," he whispered. "It means you're really nice and cute."

Ino shuddered. "Ninja-code?" She subtly nudged Sakura. This was Sakura's wannabe-boyfriend, not hers. Was all that planning just talk? "Are you stupid or are you still five?"

"No." Naruto pouted. "I really will be a ninja. I can show you—right now I'm training to walk up walls!" Naruto grinned at Sakura, who was busy being mortified that the rest of the class was listening in on this. "That's really cool, isn't it? You can't get much better guy than me!"

Sakura flushed so red she thought she might be the same color as her dress. Then she flushed even more because she realized that everyone was watching her turn into a beet, and that would not help her popularity index.

"Naruto, I think anyone can do better than you," she snapped, standing up in front of Ino. "You are the weirdest, stupidest loser I have ever met. You live in a fantasy world." Sakura _had_ told Ino she'd deal with Naruto today, so by god she would! "Maybe it's because your grades suck so badly I don't even know why you are here."

Sakura stuck a finger in Naruto's chest. "Konoha Academy is an elite school, but you show up to class every day looking like scruffy trash." She took a step forward, pushing him back. "Whoever is paying your tuition is dumping their money into a pathetic waste. You are so stupid you flunk all of your tests." She took another step forward, and Naruto stepped back again. "And then you have the balls to boast about yourself as if you were some brilliant genius." Sakura stepped forward one more time, and Naruto tripped over a chair and went crashing into an empty desk.

"Ninja?" Sakura laughed. "Don't waste my time you freak." Sakura held her head up high and looked at the wannabe down her nose. It started as a low chuckle from Ino, but soon the entire class was hooting and cat-calling the 'ninja-boy' sprawled over an upturned chair on the floor.

Naruto slowly picked himself up and dusted off his orange jacket. He looked around calmly at the laughing class.

"Do you understand now, you freak," Sakura glared. Her heart fluttered when she realized that Sasuke was watching, and even seemed to be enjoying the show. She quickly refocused her ire back at Naruto. "I would never, ever go out with you, not in a million universes. I don't even want to see your face back in this classroom tomorrow, got it, dropout?"

Naruto closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head. He felt floaty and distant. "Yeah, I got it," he said softly. He walked solemnly back to his own seat, picked up his bag, and walked to the door. The crowd parted before him.

"I still like you, though, Sakura-chan," he beamed from the doorway. "And I'll see you all tomorrow morning, okay?" Naruto waved at the class, then raced down the hallway.

The class stood silent, stunned. Sakura gasped soundlessly, but couldn't come up with a proper retort.

"Hn," said Sasuke finally. "What an idiot."

The class laughed again, then continued to pack their bags.

All, at least, except for except for one dark-haired girl in the far back corner. The girl merely followed Naruto's departure out the school gates with pale, inscrutable eyes.

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A/N: Hahaha. I'm months overdue, but I promised myself I'd write the last little bit and post everything tonight. I thought I had it all written, but as I wrote more for the other chapters, it kept growing and growing. I almost combined this with the next two chapters, but decided that I just needed to get it out and that it worked well enough on it's own. Don't worry, Naruto will gain mastery of his kyuubi-fueled ninja power soon enough. We'll also meet our first villain. Stay tuned and review! I'm writing this right now for my own pleasure, but I have a pretty short attention span. You guys are gonna have to nag and guilt-trip me eventually to get more updates.

Feedback questions:

Does Naruto seem bipolar?

Is his life unrealistically angsty?

How is my pacing?


	3. Chapter Three: Awakening III

A/N: PAIRING DISCLAIMER. Naruto is eleven years old. Did you snog your soulmate when you were eleven years old? Any emerging sexual tensions you read into the story at this point are speculative, and not a guarantee of NaruHina, NaruSaku, ecetera as the final outcome. So please, read and enjoy. I always hate getting turned off from a perfectly good fic because of the pairing. I'll not lie—I love NaruHina and Hinata will be an important character, but I might let Naruto date other characters as it suits the story. So yes, if you see an opportunity that will advance character development, feel free to suggest it.

At the very least, I'm not above doling out fanservice. *lecherous grin*

**KitsuneMan**

Chapter Three: Awakening III

Naruto knew that school today was going to end just as badly as the last two.

_Third time's the charm my ass. _More like if it happened once, and happened twice, it was going to happen again. He could not wait to face his classmates' cold stares. He thought he'd made a good exit from the room yesterday, but it was hard to keep up the smile. He'd actually been so close to tears that he'd forgotten to pick up his overdue stipend check from Iruka and gone straight home to sleep. He hadn't even been able to concentrate enough to bring out the wall-sticking "catra" power when he tried to train on the way to his apartment. He had a nice bruise on his back from where he'd tried running up a tree and blasted himself into the dirt.

_I sure showed that tree, though_, Naruto thought. The tree had a two-foot crater of splintered wood now.

Naruto's pessimistic prediction only seemed to come true when he walked into the elementary division to find everyone whispering and gossiping as he moved down the hallway. He could practically feel their eyes drilling holes into his back.

Naruto spotted a shock of pink hair standing outside an open locker near his classroom. He took a deep breath. Memories of Sakura laughing cheerfully at a friend's joke or giggling while playing tag with a bunch of people on the playground played out in his mind's eye. Naruto's heart ached. Okay, so Sakura was kind of mean to him, but so was everyone else. Naruto knew that he still thought Sakura was cool and smart and popular—pretty much everything he had ever wanted for himself.

Naruto remembered Iruka's lecture from the other day.

"_You're the little brother I never had, Naruto," Iruka admitted. "I hate to see you in this state. Just keep trying and be yourself, and you'll make more friends." Iruka smiled and rubbed Naruto's shoulder._

Naruto put his doom and gloom behind him, just like he did every day. He was hurt, but he couldn't give in. Ninja did not give in! Naruto took a deep breath to prepare himself. He walked up to Sakura, who had her back turned, and turned his smile to maximum. He tapped her on the shoulder.

"HEY, SA~KU~RA!" he sang loudly. "What's up?"

Ino suddenly materialized beside him and slammed him into the lockers. "Now is not the time you freak!" She practically shouted into his ear, grasping his jacket's collar. His hearing was ringing when she backed up.

"Huh?" Naruto said dumbly, still in shock.

Sakura turned to glower at him then, tears in her eyes. Naruto noticed that she was wearing mascara, because it was starting to run down her cheeks. "Go away, Naruto," she said. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked with genuine concern. "What's wrong, can I help?"

"No you can not _help_, you freak!" Ino shrieked. "Some jerk just trashed Sakura's locker. All her books are shredded." Ino narrowed her eyes. "As a matter of fact, I bet it was _you_!" She hissed. "You'd just love to pay her back after she embarrassed you like that yesterday, wouldn't you?"

"Embarrassed me?" Naruto squeaked, then winced internally. Ninja did not squeak.

Sakura sighed and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Let him go, Ino. He's too stupid to take a hint to drop dead, let alone break into my locker. My parents can just buy me new books. Let's get to class."

Naruto blinked, then grinned. Did Sakura tell Ino to let him go? It sounded like Sakura had just stood up for him, like a friend! Naruto got excited. "I knew you liked me Sakura-chan! I'll help you in any way I can!"

Sakura suddenly whirled around and glared. Her red-stained eyes and smeared makeup was not very attractive at all. "No, I just have better things to do today. From now on, you're just below my notice. If you really like me, then don't ever talk to me again. That's the only way someone like you can help."

Ino banged Naruto one last time into the locker for good measure, then followed Sakura into the classroom. The homeroom bell rang, and more people started filing by, giving him covert glances of either pity or disgust as they brushed past him. Finally, a girl with blackish-blue hair darted through the door and it swung shut, leaving Naruto alone in the hallway to push back the familiar sting of rejection.

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Naruto sat on a toilet in the handicapped stall of the boy's bathroom after lunch, his legs pulled up to his chest and his chin on his knees. He could hear his classmates outside, but Naruto didn't care that he was missing recess. Playing by yourself wasn't much fun, anyway.

_There has to be something I can do_, Naruto thought. _Even if I'm not her boyfriend or even a regular friend, I just don't want to see her cry! _The dripping mascara stood out strongly in his mind. She'd probably put a lot of time into making it perfect. _Sakura-chan needs to stay pretty._

Maybe it would be good if he caught the person who'd ripped up her books. If Naruto could protect her books, Sakura would have to notice him. Naruto decided he needed to invent a fingerprint-tracking jutsu or something. He glared really hard at the handle of the stall door, trying to see if he could trigger some sort of ninja infra-vision, but only got a bad headache. He went back to his earlier objective-- trying to control his "catra."

_Come forth, ninja power! _Naruto silently cried as he flung his arm forward and focused on sticking it to the stall door. It took hold, and Naruto slapped his other palm down next to it. So far, so good.

Naruto took a steadying breath and placed one foot underneath the first hand. The handicapped stall was bigger than the others, but it still wasn't a lot of room to train in. The goal was to get all four limbs off the ground and stay there as long as possible. He lifted his last foot off the floor.

_Steady, steady_, Naruto thought as sweat began to bead on his brow. He could feel the balance of catra starting to build up in one hand. _Even it out…_

The hand glowed brilliantly blue, then exploded from the door. Naruto was flung to the side and crashed against the bathroom wall. He lost pressure in the other limbs and dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

_That's enough for the moment, maybe, _Naruto thought ruefully, rubbing his bottom. He'd held on for fifteen full seconds, a new record. The bell was probably going to ring soon, anyway. He needed to head back to class or he'd get lectured by Mizuki again. Naruto stretched and walked out of the boy's bathroom, feeling a lot better than when he'd walked in. He half turned as he sensed something approaching from his right.

WHAM! Naruto collided with a small, dark blur that was running down the empty hallway.

"Hey!" Naruto yelped. He bent over to help pick the girl up. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

The girl bit her lip but didn't take his hand. If anything, she seemed to curl into an even smaller ball on the floor.

"I mean, you should have been the one watching because you were running, but then I should have seen you 'cause I'm I ninja, and…hey, are you sure you're alright?"

The girl nodded so slightly that Naruto thought he might have imagined it.

"Then take my hand and let me help you up."

Hesitantly, the girl reached forward and took Naruto's hand in her own. Naruto gasped. Her grip was gentle and her hand was so soft and warm. _So this is what a girl feels like,_ Naruto thought. Instead of helping her up, he impulsively turned her palm over to examine the long, delicate fingers more closely. He traced his own digit over her lifeline.

"Hey, you've got some calluses, you know? Do you like to hit things?" Naruto asked. He looked back at the girl and caught her eyes for the first time. They were a really, really pale lavender. _Like dusk light on the snow, _Naruto thought. An awkward silence passed between them, and the pink flush on the girl's cheeks turned an even more furious red.

"Umm, right." Naruto laughed uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "Up we go!" He pulled the girl rather roughly to her feet. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto! What's yours? What class are you in?"

The girl's lips seemed to move, but almost no sound came out of them.

"Mizuki's class?" Naruto repeated incredulously. "No way! I'm in Mizuki's class too! How come I've never seen you before?"

The girl blushed even _worse_, and turned away to hide her eyes under her bangs. The hand Naruto wasn't holding started twitching subtly, as if it wanted to poke something. Naruto realized belatedly that he might be making her uncomfortable.

_Well if she wasn't so shy and dark and weird, _Naruto thought. He let go of her hand as the bell rang and students started to come back into the building. He felt kind of sad doing that…he'd wanted to hold it longer and pretend that it was Sakura-chan's.

"Do you want to go back to class with me?" Naruto asked, studying the fur trim on her oversized beige coat.

The girl nodded.

"Okay then." Naruto turned and started walking down the hall. The girl darted around a few other students to catch up. They walked in silence until they reached the door. Naruto was about to walk in when something grabbed him by the back of his jacket and pulled him into the corridor again. He looked at the girl behind him in surprise. For someone so frail looking, she was pretty strong.

"Are you really going to be a ninja, Naruto-kun?" She asked, audibly for the first time. There was an odd gleam in her pearly lavender eyes that Naruto didn't quite understand. Naruto nodded slightly, unsure if she was just making fun of him too, or was going to turn him in to Mizuki and the principal.

"Yeah," he said. "The best ninja ever!"

"That's good," the girl replied. She gave him a small but honest smile and ducked past him into the room. Naruto stood stunned in the hallway for a few moments as more people walked past him into class. Naruto suddenly realized that Mizuki was already in there and he was going to be the last one to arrive.

The classroom was normally a little noisy after recess, but today it was totally mute. Naruto thought that was strange, but he just headed to his seat. He noted that the dark, weird girl sat by a window in the last row. The classroom continued to be silent, and even Mizuki wasn't starting the lesson.

After a few moments Naruto got impatient and asked loudly what was going on. Everyone seemed to glare at him, and Naruto finally noticed the graffiti on the board.

Oh. _That's not very nice_, Naruto thought as Sakura got up and ran out of the room.

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Sakura sniffled to herself and shivered as she walked home from Ino's house after dinner. It was getting dark, and even though the evening breeze still carried the fading warmth of late summer, Sakura felt cold.

Today had been the worst day of her life. First her books were torn up, and then someone wrote all of those horrible things about her on the board. To top it all off, her father came to school and very publicly chewed out the principal for letting someone pull that kind of mischief on his baby.

How embarrassing! How mortifying!

_This is SO not good for the Popularity Index_, Sakura mentally sighed. She'd gotten a boost yesterday by humiliating the Uzumaki trash and amusing Sasuke, but had immediately been taken down again by this stupid "Shadow" person.

Sakura pulled the note out of her pocket again and uncrumpled it.

"_I am always watching,"_ It read,_ "I know what you do. It is wrong and I will pay you back. I am always in your Shadow."_

Sakura shivered. That was just creepy. The note had been in her pocket when she left class—even creepier. She hadn't shown it to anyone but Ino. Ino thought it might be a precursor to something much worse, but Sakura managed to convince her to keep it secret. She didn't want to get pulled out of school. Sasuke and Popularity Index aside, Sakura really loved to learn. Academics were her life, and she hoped to become a doctor someday. Getting transferred to the public system was not the way to make it to a top med school.

No. Sakura couldn't figure out how the note got slipped into her pocket, but she wasn't going to let some wannabe stalker keep her from class.

A sudden gust of wind sent a few leaves from the trees lining the street swirling to the ground. Despite herself, Sakura felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. She could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. _Oh, now I've talked myself into paranoia_, she thought. She quickened her pace.

_I'm fine, I'm safe, I'm fine, I'm safe._

The lingering colors of sunset had finally faded from the sky as Sakura rounded the last corner, a few steps away from her own palatial house in the upscale suburb. Ahead, one of the streetlights flickered on with a low buzz. The dim orange glow revealed a small figure in a black cloak crouched impassively across the street. There was no face under the hood, only deep, endless shadows. The figure's gloved hands curled and uncurled, revealing the grim glint of a knife. Sakura's mind froze. The figure stared back emotionlessly. Sakura's heart raced as she fumbled in her bag for her cell phone, trying to press 911 on speed dial. She broke eye contact to find the phone.

Her fingers closed around the cool protective metal casing on her iPhone. _Got it!_

Sakura looked back up again. The figure was gone. It was just an empty suburban street in front of her. A door creaked open to her side, and Sakura jumped, settling instinctively into a fighting crouch she must have picked up on T.V. One of her neighbors stepped out and walked to the curb with a bag of trash. They waved cheerily. Sakura waved numbly back.

She waited until her neighbor had returned inside, then fled up the street and up the steps of her porch and into her house. She slammed the door behind her and sank to the cool marble floor.

_Just my imagination_, she chucked weakly.

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Naruto limped slowly through the gates of Konoha Academy and made his feeble way towards the elementary division. As he neared the building of TORTURE and DOOM, he was surprised to find a small, dark haired girl in an oversized beige coat standing on the steps outside the doors.

Naruto stopped in front of her. "Hinata, right?" He asked. The girl turned cherry red and nodded hesitantly, her index fingers poking together nervously.

Naruto grinned, and pumped a fist in the air for victory. "Yes!" He cried. "Ninja information training, success!"

Hinata looked up, slightly confused.

"You never told me your name yesterday," Naruto explained. "But being the super-awesome ninja that I am, I found it out. It's training for my newest jutsu." Naruto nodded sagely. Actually, Mizuki had called on her to help erase the board after Sakura had fled the room. He still didn't know her last name.

"M--mmn," Hinata murmered, looking away. "You're limping, Naruto-kun," she pointed out. "Are you alright?"

"Eheheheh." Naruto laughed in embarrassment. "I think I twisted my ankle training on the way to school." Since Naruto was having more luck exploding off of surfaces with a catra overload rather than sticking to them, he'd decided to try intentionally repelling himself to jump higher. The results had been spectacular, but painful. Too bad he hadn't planned how to land first.

Hinata looked up again with interest. "Information gathering?" She asked.

"No. Something even more awesome." Naruto nodded to himself. He bent closer and whispered to her confidentially. "It's super secret."

Hinata flushed cherry red again, and Naruto thought he saw steam blow out of her ears.

"Uh-umm. Ano," She stuttered. "I've…I've a-always ad…ad…"

Whatever she was going to say, Naruto never found out. A burly student from another class decided they were blocking the door too long and pushed Naruto out of the way. He bumped into Hinata and they went tumbling off the steps into the bushes. Naruto flung one hand out in front of him and barely kept himself from crushing the smaller girl.

They stared into each other's eyes in shock for a moment, then Naruto broke the tension with a low chortle. "We have got to stop doing this," he said.

"H-huh?" Hinata squeaked.

"Falling on top of each other," Naruto replied, as if it was obvious. Not seeing comprehension in Hinata's expression, Naruto sighed. "Nevermind." He stood up and brushed himself off. He offered a hand to Hinata. "Need a hand?"

This time, Hinata did giggle. She took Naruto's hand, and he steadied her as she picked herself off the ground. She still turned her patented shade of red as Naruto picked a leaf out of her hair and awkwardly dusted the back of her coat.

"There we go!" Naruto cried. "Let's get to class, ne?" He grabbed Hinata's hand (It was so soft! If only it were Sakura-chan's!) and dragged her out from behind the bushes.

Into Kiba.

Kiba stared at Naruto pulling a flushed and panting Hinata out of a bush, hair ruffled. His dog yipped playfully in circles at his heels.

"Naruto," Kiba gaped. "What are you doing to Hinata?"

Hinata blushed again, and Naruto frowned. "None of your business, Kiba." He retorted.

"Oh really," Kiba growled. "Couldn't get Sakura, so now you're molesting poor Hinata?"

Hinata looked shocked, but couldn't manage to speak. Naruto was indignant. "Of course not!" He shot back. "What are you, a pervert?"

"No, but I know you are," Kiba spat.

"A-ano…" Hinata finally said, trying to defuse the situation. "Class is going to s-start s-soon."

Naruto looked back at Hinata. "That's right, Hinata-chan! Let's go!" He stormed past Kiba, still dragging Hinata. Hinata winced at how tight his grip clenched.

Kiba made to follow, but was held back by Akamaru, still yipping on his leash. "GET BACK HERE!" He shouted, tying Akamaru up outside. "DON'T YOU DARE HURT HINATA!" Akamaru barked his agreement.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, NARUTOOO!"

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"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto chirped, bounding up to her desk in the back of the room. Sakura wasn't in class today—Naruto hoped she was okay—but Hinata seemed like a nice person. She maybe even believed in ninja! "Do you want to eat lunch together?"

Hinata paused for a moment, then nodded silently. "Awesome!" Naruto cried. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat, leading her to the door. He didn't seem to notice the glares he was getting from his classmates, Kiba in particular.

The walk to the cafeteria was pretty one-sided. Naruto gushed about ninja weaponry, while Hinata listened quietly. Naruto kept waiting for her to say something, but she never did.

_Better than, "Ninja aren't real, loser!"_ a small part of Naruto thought, as he explained the finer points of wielding a fuma shuriken.

Finally, Naruto broke as they got in line to get their food. He turned to Hinata.

"Why don't you say something, Hinata? What do you like to do?"

Hinata twiddled her fingers. "U-ummm…" She stalled. "I...I like to press flowers and m-make medicinal c-creams." She said.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really?" He said. "That's awesome, 'cause I seem to get hurt a lot lately." _Stupid catra control_.

"I-I can bring you s-some t-tomorrow if you like." Hinata replied, with a warm smile. Naruto felt fuzzy inside.

The rest of the trip through the food line was spent in comfortable silence. Normally Naruto hated silence-- it reminded him too much of sitting alone in his apartment or on the playground-- but with Hinata there it didn't feel like he needed to fill up the space with empty words. It was kind of strange.

Naruto felt a small leap in his throat as they made for an empty table in the already crowded cafeteria. This was going to be the first time he ever shared a meal with anyone other than Iruka or the Old Man.

He sat down with Hinata and surveyed his food. Today was garlic mashed potatoes with steamed veggies, and an apple on the side. Healthy stuff. Bleh. He made a face at Hinata, and she giggled.

"You can't always eat ramen, Naruto-kun," she said with a knowing smile.

"Yes I can!" Naruto pouted. "It's _way_ tastier!" How did Hinata know he liked ramen anyway? Probably because he was always ranting about it in class. It was his second favorite thing to talk about, besides being a ninja.

Speaking of ninja, ninja did not use forks!

Naruto glanced around furtively, checking to make sure a teacher wasn't watching. He carefully picked up his dented fork between his thumb and forefinger and held it at arms length, like something smelly. Hinata watched curiously. He dropped it on the ground and nudged it under the table with his foot.

"Ninja do not use forks," he explained to Hinata. He pulled a set of wooden chopsticks out from his pocket and snapped them in half with a satisfying crack. He rubbed them together to get rid of splinters.

"Itadakimasu!" he chanted, grinning, as his chopsticks dove for the starchy white mush.

They never made it. A hand clamped down on Naruto's shoulder. Kiba's head came to rest by Naruto's ear.

"Yo, Naruto!" Kiba said. Naruto wrinked his nose at Kiba's dog breath. "What are these things?" He plucked the chopsticks out of Naruto's hand, clicking them together experimentally.

"Chopsticks." Naruto said curtly, making a swipe to get them back. Kiba pulled them out of his reach. "I need them to eat," he said.

"What happened to your fork?" asked another boy, who sauntered up to stand behind Kiba.

Kiba laughed. "Naruto is too good for forks," he said.

Yet another classmate who Naruto vaguely recognized nodded sagely at Kiba's side. "Probably another _ninja_ thing," he said. Three more boys materialized.

"Naruto," Kiba said, "We'd like to have a word with you outside."

"Whaaaat?" protested Naruto. "Don't be such a jerk. Me and Hinata were just—" Naruto began.

Kiba slammed his palms down on the table. Naruto and Hinata's trays jumped. Naruto steadied Hinata's milk carton before it could tip over.

"You, me, outside. Now." Kiba growled. The boys gathered around him glared menacingly.

Naruto glanced around the cafeteria. People at other tables were looking now, too. Naruto thought he saw a third grader preparing to fling a fork full of mash potatoes at him. That would be bad. His eyes flicked to Hinata. Not that Naruto was against food fights (Not at all—he vividly remembered starting the most epic food battle ever in second grade. There were still spaghetti stains on the ceiling) but he didn't want his first friend to get caught in one. Would she stop talking to him?

Hinata nodded slightly. She could see the trouble too, it seemed. _It's okay, _her eyes seemed to say. Naruto sighed and took a large bite of his apple before picking up his tray and heading to the trash can. Yet another day without lunch. He sent Kiba a dirty look. Kiba sneered back.

Hinata rose to go with him, but the other boys waved her back down. Hinata looked at Naruto questioningly, but Naruto only shrugged in response.

"S'okay, Hinata," Naruto said. "I can take care of this." He gave her his best grin.

Hinata looked wounded. "I-If I'm c-c-c-c-causing you t-trouble…" She stuttered nearly incoherently.

Naruto's gasped. "Oh, no, Hinata! I—" He was cut off again as Kiba shoved him roughly in the back.

"Don't worry, Hinata baby." Kiba said, "The guys and I will keep this loser from bothering you. This is between men. You just eat your lunch." Kiba flashed her a winning smile, but it looked more arrogant and condescending to Naruto.

Hinata crumpled in on herself. Naruto tried to protest and apologize more, but suddenly he was being swept out of the building onto the near-empty playground. They steered him towards the tree with the swing set where Naruto first learned about "catra." That seemed like ages ago.

Kiba pushed him again, shaking him out of his thoughts. Naruto stumbled on a clump of grass. He looked up to find himself surrounded in a semi-circle by his classmates, the wall to his back.

"Okay," Naruto said with false cheer, gauging possible escape routes. There were none. "We gonna play dodgeball or something?"

One of the boys in the circle snickered. "Something like that, maybe," he said, scooping up a rock and tossing it in the air. "Depends. How well can a _ninja_ dodge?" The other boys laughed.

Kiba waved them off. "We don't like you bothering Hinata," Kiba said bluntly.

Naruto shook his head. "I wasn't bothering her. She agreed to eat lunch with me." Naruto hoped he hadn't been bothering her. "_YOU'RE_ the one who bothered _US_," he pointed out.

Kiba let out a short bark of a laugh. "Bothering you?" Kiba guffawed. "That's priceless, coming from the class _reject_. Hinata's just too nice to turn anyone down, even a loser like you." Kiba sneered. "She's lucky she's got guys like us to look out for her," he said smugly.

Naruto gaped at the boys around him, nodding in chorus. "So what are you guys, then, her secret service?" he asked. Naruto narrowed his eyes at Kiba. "It's not like you're her boyfriend."

Kiba flushed. "Y-yeah!" He shouted, "But neither are you! I saw you trying to molest her this morning!"

"Molest her?!?" Naruto shouted back. "We're eleven. I already told you it was an accident, you pervert!"

"It didn't look like an accident to me!" Kiba retorted.

"That's why you're a pervert! You didn't even see what happened!" Naruto looked to the boys around him imploringly. "Why are you people even following this guy? Can I go back to lunch now?"

A boy on Naruto's right laughed, closing in. "No chance in hell. We've stood by while you harassed Sakura, but Hinata is crossing the line." He pushed Naruto. "This was a long time coming anyway."

_Oh shit_, was Naruto's only thought as two more boys suddenly grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back. Kiba cracked his knuckles. "Promise you'll stay away from Hinata," he said.

"Why should I?" Naruto spat. All he wanted was a friend! Why was that so hard?

"Wrong answer!" Kiba smiled wickedly. He struck out with a low body blow that knocked the wind from Naruto's chest.

"_Oomph,"_ Naruto sputtered. He bit back a louder cry of pain. _That was new_, he wondered with wide eyes. Usually people just ignored or taunted him. This was the first time he'd actually been struck.

Kiba shook out his hand. "Damn, man. You got a gut of steel, give you that. _Ninja_ training, huh?" He smiled even more viciously. "You can be my training post. I need to work on my kick." He backed up a few steps and let his right leg fly.

Naruto lunged forward and to the side, pulling one of the boys pinning his arms into the path of the kick. It hit the kid squarely in the back. Naruto used the shock and the remaining two bullies closed in. Naruto slid low beneath one, knocking him off balance with a quick chop to the back of the knee as he skid by.

"U-Zu!" Naruto shouted, kicking the other kid in the groin while still laying on the ground.

"Ma-Ki!" Naruto, still prone, did a spin to do a break-dancer proud, swiping the feet out from under the boys who'd been pinning his arms. He pushed up and flipped backwards with astounding acrobatic grace, landing on his feet just as Kiba came to his senses and rushed the blond reject in a blind rage.

"Naruto Rendan!" Naruto cried as he drop-kicked Kiba's shoulder. Kiba went crashing into the dirt, spitting up blades of grass.

_Woah_. Naruto thought, looking from his hands to the six groaning bodies around him. _Naruto Rendan?_ Naruto had tried to learn some basic katas before, using a yellowing karate poster he'd found in a dumpster outside a dojo, but he had no idea he could do _that_.

"AAAAAAARRRGGHHH!" Naruto's head snapped up. Kiba launched himself at Naruto and tackled the smaller boy to the ground. "YOU IDIOT!" Kiba roared. He pounded Naruto in the jaw, snapping the kid's head to the side and sending his mind reeling. "THAT FUCKING HURT!" Kiba growled.

"You…p'nchd…first…" Naruto mumbled deliriously. _Kiba's got a good right hook_.

Kiba struck him again. And again.

Suddenly Kiba was being pulled back, delicate fingers pulling insistently on his fur-lined hoodie with surprising strength. "K-Kiba-kun, stop! Stop!" Someone cried. Naruto squinted up at his savior.

_Oh, hey, Hinata-chan_, he mentally giggled. _Hinata-chaaaaaaaaan._

"Kiba-kun, that's enough!" Hinata yelled. "W-what are you doing!?" Kiba finally got off of Naruto. He wiped at a few specks of blood on the red tattoos on his cheeks.

"Protecting you," he said, staring at her blankly. Naruto took the reprieve to push himself into a sitting position.

"P-p-p-protecting me?" Hinata recoiled. "B-by b-beating up on Naruto-kun?"

"He was molesting you," Kiba whined. "He's playing you for Sakura. It's for your own good, Hinata. Me an' the boys are here for you."

Hinata looked frozen. She glanced around at her other classmates who had gotten back on their feet, their eyes on Naruto in utter hatred. Her mouth worked silently. She seemed to be debating something, half caught between running and hitting Kiba herself. Finally, she steeled her nerves and forced her fidgeting hands into fists at her side. "Did it ever occur to you," she said quietly, "that I might have _wanted_ to eat lunch with Naruto?" Hinata looked at Naruto, pale eyes unreadable. "Maybe I don't mind being played," she whispered.

Kiba stared at Hinata incredulously. Naruto felt something flop in his stomach. Her words didn't really process well in his brain. He was sure he was concussed.

One of the boys, standing behind Naruto, snorted. "So…are you Ninja-boy's whore now?"

_That_ processed in Naruto's brain. Nobody insulted his friend. A dam broke somewhere within Naruto, flooding him with primal rage and power. He snarled and whirled to strike out at the fool, gut him with sharpened, claw-like nails.

His swipe hit air, instead. Naruto found himself running away from the boys, pulled behind Hinata. He let out an indignant squawk of protest as the rage and power faded back below the surface of his normal energy. The red haze that seemed to hover over his skin dissipated. He stared at the back of Hinata's head as she sprinted back to the school building.

"O-oi!" Naruto cried. Hinata was pretty strong. "Where are we going?"

Hinata squeaked and dropped Naruto's hand, skidding to a stop. She fidgeted.

"A-ano, your head…the h-health c-center…" she mumbled, looking away as Naruto peered around her to see her face. "G-Gomen! Naruto-kun!" She burst out, blushing profusely.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, then gingerly poked at his jaw. It was sore, but not life threatening. In fact, it hardly felt like there was a bruise. He tasted blood on his lip, but it didn't seem like there was a cut. Maybe Kiba didn't hit him _that_ hard, after all.

"S'okay, Hinata-chan," he said. "It doesn't seem to be that bad. You don't have nothin' to apologize for."

Hinata hung her head and started twiddling her index fingers. "B-but, if I'd f-followed sooner…Naruto-kun!" She cried. "They hurt you!"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, but I got 'em back pretty good!" He said. He savored mental replay of his _awesome_ taijutsu moves. "I call it the 'Naruto Rendan,' my ultimate ninja combo!" Naruto pointed his finger in the air and struck a pose for emphasis.

Hinata hiccupped as she tried to giggle and sob at the same time. That made Naruto laugh, and Hinata hiccupped harder. She turned to run away in embarrassment, but Naruto caught her sleeve and held her back.

"C'mon, Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled. "Let's go to the health center together. They can look at my cheek, and get you something for your hiccups." He winked.

Hinata nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Un." She agreed.

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A/N: I was going to hold this off until I finish the next chapter, but "whateva." I don't _think_ I really want to change anything. And a lot of you said you wanted to see Hinata. Here she is!

PZldfn and GravityTheWizard—Thanks for answering the feedback questions. I'd actually conceived this years ago as a lighthearted, campy crossover between Naruto and Spiderman. *draws diagram of an ovum labeled 'Naruto' and 'Spiderman' on the…well, you get the idea*

Stories rarely gestate as planned. When I actually started plotting it out seriously, Spiderman disappeared and the fic got rather dark rather quickly. So I'm glad I'm not heading into a miscarriage by trying to keep it on a level I wouldn't be embarrassed to let my mom read, while still letting the characters develop and mutate in my mental uterus as they please.

I want my baby to be an enjoyable action-adventure romp, with enough drama and serious exploration of character to grow into a mature and memorable fanfiction. Maybe even inspire other writers to spawn baby fanfictions of their own. Regardless, I'll shut up with the pregnancy references. I thought it was more creative than talking about my muse. Perhaps not. ^.^;;;


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